Voxit – a platform for constructive interaction

Voxit (formerly Polis) is a low‑threshold digital participation platform that enables large groups of people to take part in decision‑making. Based on open‑source technology (Pol.is), the platform is an easy‑to‑use tool that allows decision-makers and those involved in policy preparation to gather the views of a broad audience, such as the residents of a municipality or the staff of an organisation. It enables citizens and decision-makers to better understand points of consensus and disagreement in the issue at hand and strengthens the evidence base underpinning decision-making.

In comparison to traditional survey tools, Voxit makes it possible to shift agenda-setting power closer to citizens, allowing them to define what is important to discuss – and on what terms – under a given topic and mandate.

On Voxit, participation is made easy, fast and interesting, taking into account citizens’ busy everyday lives. Voxit discussions can be joined using mobile devices, computers or tablets, anytime, and it allows people speaking different languages to participate in the same discussion. On Voxit, everyone dares to take part in the discussion.

Voting and expressing one’s opinion, views, or suggestions on the platform is anonymous and supported by a harassment-free design. Participants are able to gain insights into the rich opinion space, as discussions are well moderated with preset rules. The platform produces real‑time data on how participants are voting on each statement. For instance, the live results report shows which statements attract broad agreement and which provoke the strongest divergence of opinion. Using advanced statistical methods, the platform also groups participants into different opinion clusters based on their voting behavior. An analysis according to a group reveals nuanced differences between the clusters as well as issues on which all groups share a common ground.

1 Topic selection and assignment

A topic relevant to decision-making is selected for the discussion, and a suitable time window within the decision-making process is identified. The objective of the discussion is defined.

2 Participant selection: target groups

Key target groups are selected based on the objective of the discussion. If representativeness is important for the objective, a representative sample of participants can also be selected randomly from the target population.

3 Topic presentation and invitation process

A webpage is created for participants, presenting the topic and the objective. In addition, invitations are prepared, such as letters, emails, digital advertisements, or social media posts, in channels and media relevant to the target groups.

4 Discussion

Participants vote on statements presented on the platform and propose new ones. Moderators review the proposed statements and publish them on the platform.

5 Reporting

The Voxit platform automatically generates a real-time, continuously updated report. Participants are divided into several opinion groups based on their voting behaviour. The report makes it possible to examine the areas where participants agree or disagree. It can be published already during the discussion for participants and relevant stakeholders.

6 Publication of results and follow-up

The commissioning organisation prepares a more detailed analysis based on the report, which is shared with preparers and decision-makers, and, if needed, with the wider public. The handling of the topic in decision-making is monitored, and the public discussion continues, for example, through in-depth roundtable discussions, follow-up events, or citizen panels.

According to Sitra’s Megatrends (2026), the transformation of the current world order is testing the strength of democracy but also offers an opportunity for renewal. A fractured reality and the struggle to retain agency over the algorithm-driven information space pose serious challenges to all democracies – particularly in the digital sphere. A shared reality is vital for democracy to function, and new digital alternatives to attention-economy-driven social media are needed. European civic tech can enable more transparent and inclusive citizen participation and deliberation, offering one possible way forward.

Well-designed and democratically governed digital public spheres, such as Voxit, can support situational awareness at scale, deepen understanding of civic discourse and generate insights that support better democratic decision-making at all levels of government. Voxit is an open‑source democracy innovation, collaboratively designed to meet the requirements of European democratic values. It is governed as a European digital common: an organized, pan-European, cross-sectoral open-source community that develops a research-backed and adaptable platform to support collective sense-making.

Sitra has actively supported the community and capability building within the Finnish Open-Source community, as well as the establishment of Voxit-EU as a European Digital Common. Get familiar with European Voxit Community at voxit.org.

The developer and user community of the Voxit platform in Finland is maintained by the Finnish Open Systems Center (COSS ry), and the platform is developed in cooperation with a wider European community. COSS ry is a non-profit association that promotes the use of open-source software and open technologies in both the private and public sectors.

Between 2022 and 2026, the Voxit platform was piloted and applied in Finland in more than 120 discussions across municipalities, wellbeing services counties, central government and civil society organisations. Discussion topics ranged from mental well-being and road maintenance to municipal strategies and the development of service networks. Sitra has funded multiple experiments and developed specific expertise in applying, developing and governing Voxit as an open-source civic technology.

Sitra’s international programmes act as an innovation partner in cross-European projects that aim to scale, research and further develop the Voxit platform in different contexts. These projects seek to strengthen collective situational understanding and support better democratic decision-making at European, national and local levels of government.